Utility Billing Scam Targeting Businesses

Asking For Money Through Prepaid Cards

A utility billing scam that state officials warned consumers about in September is alive and kicking, as reports of the same scheme surfaced on Wednesday.

Nichole Vega, who has run Envy Hair Salon in Newington for the past four years, received a call Tuesday evening from a man claiming to be from Connecticut Light & Power's billing department. He told Vega that her last two payments were being returned and that she needed to pay the amount — $467 — with a Green Dot prepaid card, available at stores like Wal-Mart and Walgreens.

"If not, my power would be shut off at 9:00 p.m. last night," Vega recalled the caller, who refered to himself as Bobby Johnson, saying. "Everything that I questioned, he had an answer for. I could tell it wasn't right, but if someone was scared they might do it."

He attributed the billing changes to Hurricane Sandy and the utility's systems being down.

The caller gave her a fake CL&P number to call, which was disconnected. So she found the utility's actual customer service number and reported the issue. A representative there told Vega that her's was the second salon that called in with the complaint. She called the police, too.

"We received a couple reports today of people attempting to mislead our customers," said Mitch Gross, a CL&P spokesman.

William Rubenstein, commissioner of the state Department of Consumer Protection said in September, when similar scams were first beginning, to "never make any payment to someone who calls you over the phone unless you are absolutely certain that they are legitimate, and that you owe what they say you owe."

Anyone receiving similar calls should contact CL&P customer service at (800)286-2000 and local police. Consumers may also send a written complaint to the state Department of Consumer Protection at 165 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06141 or at dcp.frauds@ct.gov.